Whew. Long overdue but worth talking about. This show was on the 25th of March over at the Hotel Utah, a venue I wasn’t too familiar with since I moved out here in San Francisco this past summer. The place is tiny…like really tiny. In fact it feels more like a dilapidated jazz bar than a rock venue. It has its charm, but I had to squeeze in and find a seat to get somewhat comfortable.
Once I did, I started talking with a few people who were unfamiliar with the awesomeness that is Wintersleep. I have seen them live once before on their debut US tour a few years back in Portland, Maine. This was around the release of their 2nd record, Untitled. Wintersleep has a very powerful presence when performing live. They seem to almost grow in size and consume the audience with their brand of progressive indie rock. I hadn’t heard any of the new songs live before this show, so I was quite excited to see how they translated on stage. They couldn’t have sounded better. Songs like Weighty Ghost and Archaeologists were performed flawlessly with little jam sessions peppered in here and there. It was also nice to see them play a few off their self titled debut, which was a treat for me and those wanting to get the full Wintersleep experience.

As for An Horse, I like what I have heard on record, but I didn’t know much about their live shows. The band itself sounds like a stripped down version of Pretty Girls Make Graves or a slightly polished Sleater-Kinney. Fans of Tegan and Sara are understandably flocking to this band due to it’s endorsement from T&S and that similar raw emotion sound. However you take it, it’s nothing new or groundbreaking. But that doesn’t mean it’s not good. An Horse exudes brutal honesty and can still rock pretty hard when it comes to performing live. In fact it’s pretty impressive considering they are a fairly young band. When speaking on stage their interaction is adorable, but when they play, it’s a whole ‘nother monster. Lead vocalist Kate Cooper does not hold anything back and reminds me of old Thom Yorke circa The Bends live videos. It’s this combo of sweet vulnerability and anger that makes An Horse special, particularly with songs like Little Lungs and Camp Out.

You can still catch An Horse opening for the always fantastic Appleseed Cast here. And for you overseas folks, catch Wintersleep on tour in May here.

Click here for a review of An Horse’s debut record, Rearrange Beds.

Wintersleep – Weighty Ghost (Live @ SXSW)

An Horse – Postcards

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